And then a wild voice test appeared

[zumo]

[Hijikata is not, strictly speaking, a drinking man. Sure, he'll claim it's by choice out loud, but the truth is he has precious little tolerance for alcohol of any sort.

And yet, here he is nearly a week after arrival, driven at last into the loving, unjudgmental arms of Good Spirits. Wonders never cease in Luceti, it would seem.

Closer inspection would reveal, though, that his sake bottle is rather...full. And that at the moment, the man who ordered it is mostly just. Staring at it. It is, in fact, entirely possible that he only ordered it because it's one of the only things in this whole goddamn place that reminds him of home.

Presently, he'll gaze out the window, sake still untouched. What could he be thinking about? Care to ask him?]

Player Name: Jess
Are you new?: N
Character Name: Toshizo Hijikata
Character Fandom: Hakuouki

Comments

[trollkiller]

[Orphen's not much of a drinker, either, but hey, here he is. Good Spirits had to have other things that might be worth drinking, right? He takes a seat nearby and orders something of the non-alcoholic sort, and by the time it's brought back to him, he can't help but notice that Hijikata... still hasn't done anything at all! So he makes an idle comment before taking a sip of his drink.]

It's not going to drink itself, you know.

[zumo]

[Snapped out of his reverie, Hijikata glances over at the other man, an eyebrow raised at his light attempt at conversation.

Hijikata hasn't had nearly enough to drink to be humorous in return, but all of a sudden he found himself in a talkative mood.]

No, it isn't.

[trollkiller]

Something on your mind, then?

[He seemed pretty darn distracted... Not that Orphen would push him to talk. It's just that there was plenty of time for casual conversation in a place like Luceti.]

[nikori]

[Well, Heisuke's been here for just a day or two, and his boredom, curiosity, and need to find something to do in the village leads him into Good Spirits. While waiting for his own drink, he notices Hijikata just... sitting there with that untouched sake.

--Or rather, he sees some guy sitting there with untouched sake. Because with hair that (comparatively) short and clothes that (comparatively) tight, there's no way that's Hijikata! The thought doesn't cross Heisuke's mind at all, actually. But the fact that this guy isn't drinking that sake is. Or something.]

Hey, that's gonna get cold if you leave it sitting out there like that, you know.

[zumo]

[Hijikata is this close to defaulting to the 'tell Heisuke to mind his own business' response but oh shit, oh shit.

Heisuke.

He stares openly at the boy, wheels turning as he recalls what people have said about this place. That they can be from another time entirely. That they could be dead. That they could still end up here even if they had disintegrated before his very eyes.

But this is definitely Heisuke--a younger one, with his long hair and old clothes. This is Heisuke before everything had gone to hell. And there's no way it can be a hallucination because he's pretty sure he still hasn't drunk any of that sake.

After regaining some degree of his ability to speak, Hijikata will tentatively ask:]

Heisuke?

[nikori]

[As Hijikata stares for that moment, Heisuke just raises an eyebrow. What's with this guy...? His expression becomes even more unsure, and even a little surprised, when he hears his name. That's... a little strange! Especially coming from some guy Heisuke doesn't know, and in some world that isn't theirs, no less.]

..H-huh? Yeah, that's me! How do you know my name though?

[Do I know you? At this point, Heisuke starts to actually give Hijikata a good look. Now that he thinks of it, this guy does look familiar... vaguely.. maybe...

His eyes grow slightly wider as the realization begins to finally hit him. It couldn't be... could it?]

[zumo]

[...The fuck.

Okay, warm fuzzies gone now. Back to the classic Hijikata attitude.]

Heisuke...stop being an idiot. It's me.

1/3

[nikori]

[So rude, Hijikata.]

H-hey! What are you calling me an idiot for--

2/3

[nikori]

[..wait.. it really is...]

[nikori]

[oh shit]

...H-Hijikata-san?!

[zumo]

[Sigh.] Yes, Heisuke, that's what I said.

[Well, not word-for-word, maybe, but give him a break; he's had a rough week.]

[nikori]

What're you doing here?!

[...Well. That's a stupid question and he knows it. He was obviously brought here by the Malnosso too. That still doesn't change the fact that Hijikata being here is a complete surprise to him though. Here he thought he was the only one!]

incoming second fire pew pew

[hoka]

[...Sooo after being in Luceti for almost a week as well, the very last person Harada was expecting to see was Hijikata. And above all else, the very last person he was expecting to see was a balding Hijikata. ...Okay, maybe not balding, but still. Which is why Harada kind of has a double take upon seeing him.

uhhh. ..That is Hijikata, right... ..yes, of course it is. Just with shorter hair and weird Western clothes. Harada would just.. shrug it off but this is Hijikata... why..]

Hiji...kata-san...?

ahhhh!

[zumo]

[There's one thing Hijikata has just now added to his mental list of Things to Hate about Luceti.

The ghosts.

Honestly, first it was Heisuke, now Harada? Well, Harada was most likely a ghost, anyway. He's positive he would have heard otherwise if that wasn't the case.

Oh, but he's ready for them now. Once you've seen one ghost, you've seen them all. So he'll calmly respond to Harada's inquiry.]

Yes?

raaaaagh!

[hoka]

[...The casualness is only a little weird, and makes it seem like this sudden new look is nothing surprising, or something. But! His response also more or less confirms that this man is indeed Hijikata. Well then.

After regaining his composure, Harada smiles.]

So you're here too, huh?

[He'll get around to asking about the seemingly spontaneous haircut and whatnot soon enough. Who knows? Hijikata may have suddenly decided to do it here in Luceti! For all Harada knows, he may have been here for a long time now. People have said that there's... something about time stopping back at home, so people there aren't aware of someone leaving. It could have just been that. Of course, the thought of how people can come from different times altogether doesn't cross his mind just yet.]

[zumo]

Unfortunately. [That scowl is back on his face. Damn the Malnosso! Damn everything.]

This place seems to like the Shinsengumi.

It pisses me off.

[Aaaand that earns the first drink of sake of the night.]

[hoka]

Seems that way. And for once, it's not a good thing, either.

[And look at who's drinking now..! Harada gives Hijikata a contemplative look as he does so. This is all pretty weird, and he's not sure whether or not he's glad to have Hijikata--someone from home--here too.

...Gonna go with no. He doubts he would even be totally happy if Shinpachi were here, really.

Yeah. He'll go ahead and take a drink of his own.]